The most extensive global assessment of freshwater animals to date has revealed that a quarter of all freshwater animal species on the IUCN Red List are threatened with extinction. The largest number of these threatened species are found in East Africa’s Lake Victoria, South America’s Lake Titicaca, Sri Lanka‘s Wet Zone, and India’s Western Ghats […]
Tag: invasive species
Almost extinct Caribbean lizard makes a comeback after island restoration
A tiny lizard found only on one tiny Caribbean island has seen a dramatic 1,500% increase in its population, after just a few years of island restoration efforts. In 2018, researchers estimated there were fewer than 100 individuals of the critically endangered Sombrero ground lizard (Pholidoscelis corvinus) on the small hat-shaped Sombrero Island, part of […]
Rare Invasive Insects Intercepted at Dulles Airport Pose Economic Threat
In a surprising discovery, Customs and Border Protection inspectors at Dulles International Airport recently encountered two exotic insects not typically seen in the Washington, D.C. area. On October 7, during a routine inspection of a flower shipment from South Africa, officials identified two potentially harmful species that could pose significant threats to local agriculture. […]
The Burmese python problem: how 20ft predators are wreaking havoc on the Everglades
An invasive predator that can grow up to 20ft, weigh over 100kg and devour prey six times its size – it is enough to make anyone’s skin crawl. That’s what residents of southern Florida have been struggling with for the past few decades, with the rapid growth of the Burmese python population in the Everglades. […]
Invasive species are often threatened in their native ranges
Many species that are considered invasive in areas where they’ve been introduced may actually be threatened with extinction in their home ranges. A new study published in Conservation Letters explores this conservation paradox, asking whether or not nonnative species that are endangered in their native range should be protected or controlled. “We were interested in […]
Endangered seabirds return to Pacific island after century-long absence
Small seabirds skim the open ocean at night, patting their legs on the surface as they hunt for small fish. Now, for the first time in more than 100 years, endangered Polynesian storm petrels (Nesofregetta fuliginosa) have returned to a far-flung island in French Polynesia. These rare birds began exploring Kamaka Island just three weeks […]
Human-sized sea monsters found 3,500 miles away from home as they invade Kansas river
A slippery, yellow-green ocean creature born in cold, deep water northeast of the Caribbean has been pulled from the Kansas River — 3,500 miles from its birthplace. The American eel, which can grow up to five feet long and can weigh up to 16 pounds, is native to the US, but is rarely seen this […]
Fence me in: the bold plan to save native species on Wilsons Promontory
Deep in the wilderness, surrounded by ferns and the calls of cockatoos, Richard Marchant was so focused he didn’t realise three leeches were latched to his face. The ecologist had spent the day on his knees, searching for tiny invertebrates carried by a stream winding through Wilsons Promontory, a 50,000 hectare national park in Victoria, […]